Victoria and David Beckham do salsa: Why dancing is great for your relationship
The fashion designer shared a video with her Instagram followers.
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Your support makes all the difference.Victoria Beckham and husband David have been showing off their salsa skills at a dance class.
The 48-year-old Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer jokingly asking him “are you struggling to loosen up?” in the video posted on Instagram to her 30 million followers.
Victoria said: “Me and David and Harper are going to salsa,” before showing her husband practising his moves in an underground car park, to which she added: “David… is warming up in the car park.”
Inside a dance studio, complete with salsa music and multicoloured lights, Victoria told the camera: “Can’t wait to see David Beckham salsa!”
After turning the camera on her 47-year-old husband, she asked how he was feeling – to which he replied: “This down here feels great [gesturing below his waist], but this up here feels a bit tight [gesturing above his waist].”
Victoria jokingly asked him: “Are you struggling to loosen up?… Are you struggling?”
Speaking to the camera, Victoria explained her decision to wear black stiletto heels for the dance class, saying: “I’ve got my shoes on, they’re embarrassed I’m wearing heels but I’m going to show them how it’s done.”
The video showed the pair performing a salsa routine and an instructor can be heard guiding them through the dance. The couple finished with an embrace.
Dancing – of any style – is an excellent workout, and good for your mind too.
“Dancing along to your favourite music lifts the mood and eases some of the symptoms of depression and anxiety, as certain chemicals are released from the brain,” said Dr Tom MacLaren, consultant psychiatrist at Re:Cognition Health, said. “Dance affords a sense of escapism where we can forget about the day-to-day worries.”
And experts believe it’s also brilliant for strengthening relationships…
It builds connection and intimacy
“Dancing is a shared experience that can create a deeper connection between partners,” said psychotherapist Quint Boa. “It requires communication, cooperation, and synchronization, all of which can help couples build stronger relationships.
“Dancing involves physical touch, which can release feel-good hormones like oxytocin, also known as the ‘cuddle hormone’. This can increase feelings of trust and intimacy between partners. Dancing can help partners relax, have fun and enjoy each other’s company – this can create positive memories and strengthen the emotional bond between partners.”
It helps you be vulnerable
Learning a new skill together, like dancing, is hugely beneficial for any relationship, said psychologist Wendy Dignan, because it’s doing something outside of your comfort zone.
“When you’re learning something new and pushing your comfort zone, [you’re] allowing yourself to be vulnerable. And anything about vulnerability is brilliant for building trust.”
According to Dignan, being vulnerable is “the best thing” you can do within a relationship, because you have to trust the other person in order to allow yourself to be vulnerable – “And that’s what builds a happy, healthy relationship”, she said.
It’s all about teamwork
Partnerships should feel like a team. Dignan said: “A new skill set is about sometimes getting it right and sometimes getting it wrong and it’s so much more pleasant to do that with somebody else that you love and trust than doing that on your own.”
Learning together requires communication, cooperation, and patience, Boa added.
It promotes joy within your partnership
Learning to dance is fun, “So as a couple, you’re surrounded by laughter and positive emotion – rather than being focused on life’s problems”, said Dignan.
“So much of the stuff that we communicate within relationships is about solving a negative experience. So solving a problem in this case, in terms of learning, a dancing skill has a positive outcome.”
Boa added: “Finding a new adventure that both partners enjoy can help strengthen the relationship by providing a common interest and topic of conversation. This can lead to more opportunities to spend time together and create shared experiences.”
Endorphins are great for relationships
Dance is exercise, meaning it’s a huge mood booster.
“You’re naturally going to feel more upbeat when you’re learning how to dance together and that’s really positive for relationships,” Dignan added.
“When we’re feeling a bit low and life doesn’t feel as comfortable as it normally is, it’s always our nearest and dearest that get it in the neck. They bear the force of our low moods. By doing something that will naturally increase your mood, you’re spending time together where you’re in your best place, and you become your best version of yourself.”